High-tech engineering lab

The College of Engineering and Technology received a $2 million federal grant to provide a new “Manufacturing Laboratory for Next Generation Engineers.”

The funds from the grant will be used to equip the new lab with technology, such as a rapid prototyping system that takes a 3-D design a student has created and automatically makes a prototype of it, creating an environment for hands-on research.

The grant, part of a partnership between Bradley and the U.S. Department of Defense, will provide a place where corporations can collaborate with students on projects and research new developments in manufacturing technology. Funds may be available as early as this summer.

Congressman AARON SCHOCK ’02 announced the federal grant on December 4. He said that the demand for engineers is expected to grow 11 percent per year between now and 2016, and 1.6 million jobs are projected by 2016.